Policing is Going to Kill Itself | A Statement on Policing From President Sadiqa Reynolds

P O S I T I O N S T A T E M E N T
May 10, 2021

No officer should have fired a weapon because no officer should have been there! Breonna Taylor was not a suspect. It was a botched and unnecessary raid.

The same ego that sent police into Breonna Taylor’s home is the ego that sent them to 26th and Broadway, where David McAtee was killed. Mattingly got shot because he and his fellow officers made a horrible decision based on lies and arrogance.

I advised the Mayor to fire all 4 officers, not because I thought he would win the personnel hearings, but because it would have cost the city less to fight that battle than the one I knew we’d spend the next year fighting in the streets.

We don’t want what the system says is fair; we want what is just. We wanted them all fired and charged. Of course, we’re not saying a Mattingly firing would have been upheld in a hearing. In fact, it probably wouldn’t have, and that’s the point. Any system that won’t build in fail-safes to rid itself of those who intentionally, unintentionally, or with reckless disregard, harm those they are sworn to serve and protect, is so flawed, it doesn’t warrant preservation. Any system that would allow the government to enter the home of a sleeping woman and kill her because of the response of a frightened occupant—in a stand your ground state—is flawed beyond repair. Any system that allows an officer to write a book and profit from the notoriety gained by his hand in killing an innocent woman is beyond despicable and conducive to a culture that lacks humanity.

Before you say it, I know there are good officers, but at the end of the day, they are rowing an oar off the side of the Titanic. So, even the good ones aren’t enough to fix the system of policing in America.

Morale is down, and departments should not and will not be able to recruit. So ultimately, policing is going to kill itself. And what will we do then? We will create something that can serve and protect in every zip code for every person.

We need alternative responders right now. We need another number to call for something that requires immediate attention but not a gun.

Who do I call when a man is harassing my child as she walks our dog? We don’t need the harasser to be shot, but we do need intervention. Use the money for beds for drug treatment and supportive services which are at the root of his problem. Use the money to pay for mental health workers and to build $400 a month rental housing in every zip code in our city.

Take the money we spend on law enforcement and use it to recruit culturally competent teachers to lower student-teacher ratios and focus on closing the achievement gap. Use the money to ensure that every K-12 student has baseline knowledge and technological capability. Invest in universal Pre-K for every child in Louisville.

But first, use the money to prosecute the police. Arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor.

Sadiqa N. Reynolds, Esq.
President and CEO

Reference: How the U.S. Got Its Police Force

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: 
Lyndon Pryor 
Chief Engagement Officer
[email protected]  | (502) 512-3681

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The Louisville Urban League assists African Americans and those at the margins in attaining social and economic equality and stability through direct services and advocacy. For more information, go to lul.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter  (@louisvilleUL), or Instagram (@louisville_ul).